By: TJVNews.com

The Rabbinical Alliance of America (Igud HaRabbonim) successfully convened its Rosh Chodesh Teves Conference and Seudah on Sunday, December 21, 2025 (1 Teves 5786). The gathering took place at Congregation Beth Tikva in Brooklyn, where RAA Vice-President and Rosh Kollel of the Ayshel Avraham Zichron Yaakov Rabbinical Seminary, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Serebryanski, serves as the spiritual leader.

The Rosh Chodesh Seudah was generously sponsored by the RAA Presidium Chairman, Rabbi Yaakov Klass. The sponsorship was dedicated L’iluy Nishmas his mother-in-law, Chana Chaya Henna Rasha Bas Reb Pesach Leib Spanner, A”H (Mrs. Chana Spanner), observing her Yahrzeit on 9 Teves. Additionally, the Seudah was sponsored in honor of the birthday of Rabbi Klass’s father, Reb Anshel ben Reb Moshe Feivel Klass, Z” L (Mr. Albert Klass), which also occurs on 9 Teves.

During the session, Rabbi Klass presented the Administrative Report and delivered a special Dvar Torah honoring Mrs. Spanner’s Yahrzeit and his father’s birthday, reflecting on their enduring legacies.

The conference was graced by the participation of several prominent rabbinic leaders. Among the distinguished attendees were Rabbi Yaakov Shulman, Presidium Member of the RAA; Rabbi Gil Student, Director of the RAA Vaad Halacha; Rabbi Gary Kopstick; Rabbi David Toback, and Rabbi David Yelloz.

Our host, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Serebryanski, addressed the gathered rabbis with a heavy heart, focusing his remarks on the horrific terror attack that took place on the first night of Chanukah at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. The shooting at the “Chanukah by the Sea” celebration claimed the lives of 15 holy souls, including Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a beloved Chabad emissary and assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, the organization’s Chief Operating Officer.

“When we are confronted with deep darkness and senseless hatred, our response cannot be to retreat,” Rabbi Serebryanski stated, echoing the very message Rabbi Schlanger often preached. “Rabbi Schlanger was known for saying that the best response to antisemitism is to ‘be more Jewish.’ The Rebbe taught us that a little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness. When lives dedicated to Torah and Mitzvos are cut short—especially during Chanukah, the festival of lights—we must respond by adding more light to the world. We do not fight darkness with sticks; we fight it by lighting another candle, performing another Mitzvah, and increasing in Ahavas Yisrael. This is the only way to answer such evil—by ensuring the holiness the victims brought into the world is multiplied through us.”

The conference also featured a moving address by Ms. Rochelle Pearl, a representative of the Romanian Jewish community. Ms. Pearl provided a sobering update on the dangerous resurgence of antisemitism in Romania. She shared her personal narrative, recalling how she was taught from a young age never to say she was Jewish and to hide her identity for safety.

“I was never raised to be a ‘proud Jew’ publicly; fear was the dominant lesson,” Ms. Pearl explained. She contrasted this with the current reality, noting that the struggle today lies with the young people in Romania who want to be proud Jews but face significant societal challenges.

Ms. Pearl highlighted alarming statistics and political shifts that have exacerbated the situation. She pointed to recent reports indicating that 60% of Jewish respondents in Romania now consider antisemitism a major problem in their daily lives, with over half believing it has increased significantly in the last five years.

She detailed the disturbing rise of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party and the influence of independent candidates who have openly praised fascist leaders like Ion Antonescu and Corneliu Zelea Codreanu. Ms. Pearl also noted the recent harassment of Jewish Member of Parliament Silviu Vexler, who faced threats for supporting legislation to combat Holocaust denial—a grim reminder that even elected officials are not immune to the hate that fueled the vandalism of Jewish cemeteries and the appearance of antisemitic graffiti across the country earlier this year.

In response to Ms. Pearl’s presentation, Rabbi Serebryanski formally committed the Rabbinical Alliance of America to support the Romanian Jewish community.

“We as a Rabbinical association stand firmly with our brothers and sisters in Romania,” Rabbi Serebryanski declared. “We are prepared to do all we can to combat this issue and help resolve it. You are not alone in this struggle.”

Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, Executive Vice-President of the RAA, delivered the keynote address, which focused on the deep philosophical significance of the Chanukah holiday.

Rabbi Mirocznik explained to the assemblage that at the time of the Chanukah miracle, the conflict was not merely physical, but a clash of ideologies. “The Hellenists did not necessarily deny the existence of a Creator,” Rabbi Mirocznik noted. “Rather, they believed that G-d was too great, too vast, and too abstract to concern Himself with the mundane affairs of this world. They argued: Why should the Infinite Creator care if a Jew observes Torah and Mitzvos? Surely, He occupies Himself with more ‘important’ cosmic matters.”

“As Jews, we believe the exact opposite,” Mirocznik continued. “We believe that Hashem is intrinsically involved in every single aspect of His masterful creation. The world exists solely thanks to His benevolence and His specific commands. This was the philosophical battle of Chanukah. If, Heaven forbid, Yehuda HaMaccabi and the faithful had lost that struggle, the essence of Yiddishkeit—the personal relationship between the Jew and G-d—would have been doomed.”

Rabbi Mirocznik concluded by emphasizing the modern relevance of the holiday: “This struggle makes Chanukah relevant to this very day. In a world where the belief in a Creator is constantly questioned and attempts to undermine our faith are real, we must remember the lesson of the Maccabees: Hashem cares about the details, He cares about us, and He is involved in our lives. That is why Chanukah is so vitally important—it gives us the fortitude to prevail and remain Jewish against all odds. It truly personifies what it means to be a proud Jew. Even in a free and democratic world where the Jew feels accepted, he must remember what it means to be Jewish. We must remember the sacrifices our people have made to survive, against all odds, an assault on Judaism. We preserve our identity through the true meaning of faith: the believing and practice of Torah and Mitzvot.”